Expedition 55/56 crew members (from left) NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, pose for a portrait inside the Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module (BEAM). BEAM was installed on the International Space Station's Tranquility module on April 16, 2016 after being launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on April 8, 2016. Credit: NASA. Taken August 2, 2018.

The Expedition 56 crew is ramping for a busy traffic period at the International Space Station during the next couple of weeks.

This all comes as the orbital residents ensure BEAM's operational life and continue ongoing microgravity science.

Japan's seventh "Kounotori" resupply ship is nearing the orbital complex and closing in for a Thursday morning capture. Commander Drew Feustel practiced on a computer today the procedures he will use when he commands the Canadarm2 to grapple Kounotori around 8 a.m. NASA TV is broadcasting the live coverage of the HTV-7 arrival and capture starting at 6:30 a.m.

Feustel is also getting ready to return to Earth on Oct. 4 with crewmates Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Ricky Arnold. During the morning, the three crewmates checked the Sokol launch and entry suits they will wear when they reenter Earth's atmosphere inside the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft.

The commander also joined Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor opening up the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) for maintenance and stowage work.The duo reinforced and stiffened struts inside BEAM to increase its safety margin and extend its operational life. They also stowed a variety of hardware inside the station's newest module.

DNA sequencing from microbe samples is taking place onboard the station today to help scientists understand the impacts of living in space. The atomization of fluids continues to being studied potentially improving fuel efficiency on Earth and in spacecraft. A variety of space gear housing experiments and research samples was checked out today as part regularly scheduled maintenance.

On-Orbit Status Report

Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-2 (ACE-T-2): The crew performed a sample module exchange for the ACE-T2 experiment. ACE-T-2 is performed in the Light Microscopy Module in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR/LMM). The experiment looks at the assembly of complex structures from micron-scale colloidal particles interacting via tunable attractive interactions. The samples contain suspensions of colloidal particles that upon nearing the critical solvent temperature, give rise to critical interactions between the particles. Regulating the temperature enables control of the particle interactions, leading to the growth of complex structures.

Atomization: The crew performed a nominal sample syringe replacement for the Atomization investigation today. The Atomization experiment is performed in the JEM. It investigates the liquid spraying process in microgravity in order to confirm the new atomization concept developed from drop tower experiments on Earth. The knowledge gained can be applied to improve various engines utilizing spray combustion.

Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST): The BEST experiment run initiated on Monday was continued. In today's session, the crew prepared the amplified DNA and began processing in the Biomolecule Sequencer. This BEST experiment uses the miniPCR hardware to extract deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the samples. The BEST investigation studies the use of sequencing for identification of unknown microbial organisms living on the ISS, and how humans, plants and microbes adapt to living on the ISS.

Plant Hab-01: The crew removed the Acoustic Blanket, removed the Growth Chamber Door, and took photos of the installed Science Carrier #2. The Plant Habitat was then returned to its nominal state to allow the experiment to continue. Understanding how plants respond to the space environment will help crews on future missions successfully grow plants for food and oxygen generation. The Plant Habitat-1 investigation compares differences in genetics, metabolism, photosynthesis, and gravity sensing between various Arabidopsis plant lines grown in space and on Earth. This investigation is expected to provide key insights on major changes occurring in plants exposed to microgravity.

Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module (BEAM) Strut Reinforcement and Cargo Transfer: Earlier today the crew ingressed BEAM and installed diagonal knee braces on each of the four (4) Anomalous Depressurization and Stabilization System (ADSS) struts to reinforce the ADSS in the event of a contingency depressurized scenario for a fully loaded BEAM. The crew then transferred approved hardware into the BEAM for extended storage prior to egressing the module.

Portable Work Station (PWS)1 Replace: Today the crew replaced the failed PWS1 hardware and setup and loaded software on the new PWS1 laptop. Columbus PWS1 failed April 2018. Nominally, there is one active PWS and one spare PWS available on-board, PWS is used by crew to command and control the nominal part of the Columbus Data Management System (DMS) and by ground to perform regular maintenance and troubleshooting activities.